Miami Dolphins Chris Grier’s comments over quarterbacks is no surprise
On Monday, general manager Chris Grier said that the Miami Dolphins could look to add a quarterback in both the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts.
Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier spoke on Monday at the annual NFL owner’s meeting in Arizona. In addition to reiterating that the Dolphins are not tanking, Grier talked about Miami looking at quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL drafts. In his statement, Grier acknowledged that the Dolphins would be eyeing the 2019 and 2020 drafts for a future quarterback.
He claimed that the team would be looking to add a franchise quarterback in either draft, possibly both. The part about possibly adding a quarterback from each class got the rumblings started.
It would appear that many believed that what Grier meant by that was is that Miami could take a quarterback in the first round of both this year’s draft and next. With the likelihood that the Arizona Cardinals look poised to do exactly that, it’s understandable to come away with that assumption. However, that’s probably not what Grier meant at all.
The Dolphins organization has been very vague with their intentions this offseason. Nevertheless, it’s clear that they are ready to do things differently. They’ve already begun with the strategy of practically buying draft picks after the deal that sent Ryan Tannehill to Tennessee. The Dolphins look to do the same in a potential Robert Quinn trade.
So the idea that Miami could finally be doing things differently at the most important position should come as no surprise at all. Grier claiming that Miami could look to add a quarterback in both classes should feel like a breath of fresh air to Dolphins fans. When it comes to the draft, Miami has ultimately ignored the quarterback position in a variety of ways over a span of three decades.
In 2012, Ryan Tannehill became the first quarterback that the Dolphins drafted in the first round since Dan Marino in 1983. As outrageous as that may seem, Miami has continued down that path since drafting Tannehill. Since 2012, the Dolphins have drafted only one other quarterback at any point of the draft. That was in 2016 when they used a seventh-round selection to take Brandon Doughty out of Western Kentucky.
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That lone pick of a final round in a span of six seasons made it perfectly clear that the organization was never interested in providing competition for Tannehill. As a result, the Dolphins stuck with him much longer than they should have in a timeframe that lasted through three coaching regimes.
Now officially moved on from Tannehill, the Dolphins signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick on a two-year deal as a short-term solution. So it’s no secret that Miami is looking to add their future franchise quarterback in either of the next couple of drafts. With Grier’s remarks about possibly adding from both 2019 and 2020, they’re probably looking to add their backup as well.
For all but one season, Tannehill had Matt Moore as his primary backup. Moore never posed a threat to taking the starting job from Tannehill, however. Whoever the Dolphins bring in now to be that guy will still need to be pushed by someone behind him.
Adding their starter in one season and their backup in another seems like a wise plan. The class of 2019 does not appear to be a strong one for top-tier quarterbacks although that view has been proven inaccurate before. The 2017 class of quarterbacks is a perfect example.
With Miami picking at 13, it’s unlikely that one of the top quarterbacks of this class will fall to them. There are a number of other needs that the Dolphins need as well so trading up to get a player is probably not the wisest move either. There are, however, a number of quarterbacks this year with a ton of potential that the Dolphins could select in the mid-rounds.
A majority of the mid-level talents are very raw, which is why they are not projected very high. With a year or two of development, however, they could become quality players with starter potential. If anything, Miami can grab their backup for the next few years now before grabbing their franchise guy in 2020.
Or maybe the Dolphins think their franchise player is in this class. If they are able to get that player they would still be wise to add another quarterback in 2020 to provide competition. That wouldn’t result in them necessarily using a first-round pick to do so.
Regardless of how it all pans out, it’s refreshing to know that Miami is no longer ignoring the quarterback position. Now the goal is finding the right quarterback. If that means drafting one every year until you find him then so be it.